New
by marbars289
Summary: It's not that easy of a life when dreams start to collide with reality. And for Betty Suarez, her life is about to take a whirlwind ride as she sees that reality can really be a dream come true. Takes place after 2.15 "Burning Questions" BxG
1. You're Not Old, And You're Not Familiar

**Here you go! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is connected to Ugly Betty**

**New**

**Chapter 1. You're Not Old, And You're Not Familiar...**

Betty Suarez was at a loss that night. Sure, she was still recovering from the retched experience with one Renee Slater and candles, and fire... No, she was not going to go there again. Regardless, Betty had one problem, she couldn't sleep. But it wasn't the traumatic experience that was keeping her awake. The past 48 hours had been such a whirlwind. She shifted in her bed clutching Pepito tightly, sighing as she tried getting comfortable. "Ugh, its 2:43 in the morning, go to SLEEP!"

No, her frustrations definitely came from her conversations that took place at work that day. One with her boyfriend she adores completely, Henry. He was so relieved that she was okay after the incident, which definitely brightened her day. But it wasn't that. It was the fact that he was completely fine with her being friends with Gio, even though he didn't mind punching him earlier in the day. Something wasn't adding up in her eyes.

What concerned her more was the fact that she was concerned about Gio just as much as she was for Henry. Yes, she enjoyed her friendship with Gio completely, but why was she so concerned that he got hit? Shouldn't she have first questioned what had happened or what he did? Christina had given her that reality check, "Good for him" referring to Henry. At that moment in time, it hadn't even crossed her mind that Henry might have had a valid reason to punch him, other than their friendship that was growing by the minute. And it irked her deep down, that she cared about Gio as deeply as she does about other people that are close to her.

Yawning and finally feeling herself slip off into the sleep that she welcomed with open arms, her last lingering thoughts were filled with one comment Gio once said to her, making every single second count. And she planned to, with Henry, but something in the back of her mind was telling her otherwise.

_"You know how great you are," Henry said as he hugged Betty. They were walking down the street, enjoying the beautiful New York night sky. The stars were shining everywhere._

_"Well I try to be, and I'll always be here for you," Betty said as she looked up at him with a smile. _

_"I'm sorry about this whole mess with Charlie. But I have to be a good dad, and its hard already balancing trying to be a great father and being a great boyfriend in the process for these last few weeks," Henry said with a sad smile on his face. He looked down at her._

_"Well, we will get through it."_

_"Of course you will. Trust me Betty, you have no worries on that."_

_"It's going to be sad when you leave," Betty said as she looked up to the sky. The stars were shining, and the brisk wind made it chilly. He placed his jacket around his shoulders and kissed her forehead. She inhaled deeply and feeling strangely confortable, yet it felt different, or new._

_"I'll be here to pick up the pieces and put them back together, you deserve the best, and Henry can't give you that," Gio said as he wrapped his arm around her_.

Betty said straight up in her bed. She was trying to understand what just happened. Her clock read 7:45 in the morning, meaning that she got some sleep. The last time she dreamt about somebody other than her boyfriend was... "Nah... Oh crap! It's Tuesday, I have to get ready for work!"

Just then, Hilda came bustling through the door. "Good morning! What are you still doing in bed, usually you are up and almost ready to get out of here!" She took one look at Betty and shook her head, "Ok, so I'm fixing your hair today, there is no way you can get ready for work if you have to shower, change, and fix your hair."

Betty jumped up and started running around her room, getting an outfit together for work. "I usually never forget to turn my alarm on when I go to bed. But with everything on my mind! This whole 'near death experience' really has got me in a funk. And now I've got all these crazy thoughts running through my head, and trying to make sense of everything." Throwing clothes everywhere, she was oblivious to the fact that Hilda was still there. "And why is everything with Henry so confusing to me. He keeps throwing curveballs and now, after punching Gio, telling me that it's okay for us to be..."

"Henry punched GIO?!" Hilda shrieked while turning Betty towards her.

"...Friends? Yea, didn't I tell you that?"

"Apparently you didn't, when did this happen! The last I knew was that Henry didn't know that you were friends with Gio again."

Betty twirled the shirt in her hand. "Gio called my right before I discovered about Renee, and he told me that Henry went to his sandwich shop and punched him. I guess because he found out we were talking again, or something. ANYWAYS, Henry later told me that he is ok with me being friends with Gio."

Hilda looked at her sister incredulously. "Did I not tell you that keeping Gio a secret was going to cause problems?"

"It was nothing like that! Geez, you make that sound like I was sneaking around with him in a relationship or something."

Hilda smirked, "Well weren't you sneaking around behind Henry's back with Gio?" Betty gave her a look, "Okay! Just believe whatever you want to believe. I still can't believe Henry had it in him. But it is weird that he was okay with you talking to Gio. I wonder what really happened between them."

"Who knows," Betty said as she grabbed her set of clothes and started off to the bathroom, "I need to get ready! Daniel is going to kill me that I am late for work."

She turned and walked out the door leaving Hilda sitting on her bed. She laughed quietly to herself. "She has no idea."

After her hectic morning to get to work, her morning was fairly calm. Daniel was fine with her getting there a little later than usual and insisted that she should consider taking a day off. He went into the whole 'you are running yourself into the ground' speech. But it didn't stop her, being here and doing her job was helping her. It was her own way of getting all of her worries off of her mind.

"Hey Betty," Henry said as he walked up to her desk.

Turning in her chair to face him, "Henry, hi! What brings you up this way?"

"I don't know, a certain girlfriend who really has been really supportive of everything," he said with his goofy smile that was contagious.

"Aww Henry. Well as much as I love drop in visits, I am going to have cut you short since Daniel has a meeting in 5 minutes with one of the up and coming designers we are trying to get for Mode."

"Oh, okay. I was hoping I could take you out to lunch. Guess that is out of the question," he said with a small, soft laugh.

Betty frowned, "Yea, I'm sorry. Maybe dinner?"

"Can't, not unless you want Charlie to come along."

"Right, Charlie." Betty turned away from him, trying not to show the continual disappoint on the same issue. "Hey! I have an idea! I really would like to try to get Charlie to not hate me, you know, back before everything. How about I throw her a baby shower?"

"Are you sure you want to do something like that?" Henry said doubtfully, worry etched across his face.

"Yea! It could be fun! I know she's far from home, but some comfort could be nice. Why not for this Sunday! I know it's rushed, but I could try getting Hilda involved and Papi..."

Henry kissed her quickly on the lips. "Well that would be really sweet, and that is why you are the best."

Betty hugged him before releasing him, "No you are the best." She froze in her steps. That seemed so déjà vu, except it had already happened but with someone else.

"Are you okay Betty?"

Betty laughed nervously, "I'm fine! I should run, Daniel's meeting and all. I'll talk to you later," she said as she darted out of her office, leaving Henry behind.

"Bye..." Henry frowned, because if he didn't know better, her mood had just changed and looked shaken up about something.

It was officially one in the afternoon, and Daniel asked Betty to do the one thing she dreaded the most: Getting lunch. The meeting had gone fairly well, but lunch was a priority. Not that Betty usually minds getting lunch for Daniel, it was part of the assistant job that she's been so used to. No, it wasn't that the weather was terrible, on the contrary it was a gorgeous warm day, and anybody would love having the opportunity to leave work even if it was for 15 minutes.

Here she was, outside looking in at the disarray of the lunch hour. So many things going on at once, so many demands, requests, and orders. Some of the patrons unsure of what they wanted, torn between two options. Each appealing, each bringing a different flavor to the table, but unsure which would satisfy them in the long run. And behind it all was one person, trying to stay calm amongst it all, and balancing it all.

She walked in, hearing the familiar bell ring, even though it was almost silenced by the noise that surrounded her as many got ready to leave since their lunch hour was almost up. Amazing how in a few short months this place really became a hit.

"Well look who it is! Miss 'I Saved The Day' or should I say Fire-fighting Jane?" Gio said chuckling behind the counter as he finished a customers order.

"Oh shut up," Betty said, though a smile crept across her face. "Just because I stopped the fire does not mean I am going to turn around to be the person saving the day. That is what a firefighter is for."

"Ahh but see, there aren't many women out there in that profession, and who would love being saved by a woman in that get up. They could slide down my pole anyday," Gio said with a chuckling and a wink.

"Eww Gio, gross. Seriously, is there any time you aren't being a horn dog?" Betty said playfully.

"I'm a male, sue me. I'm allowed to have my dog comment of the day. So what brings you down here? Usually you just call in your order."

Betty hadn't even thought of that option prior. Usually Gio did deliver sandwiches right to Mode. Why did she forget this time? _Probably because you were so consumed that Daniel asked you to get his lunch and you felt you needed to see Gio_.

"It was such a nice day outside I couldn't help but take a walk here. Plus Daniel told me to get some fresh air. I think he is still worried about me, even though I told him everything was fine. Anyways, he wanted me to get him lunch, and wanted your roast beef sandwich, extra mustard."

"So one roast beef sandwich, extra mustard, and the usual." Gio said as he turned from the counter to where his supplies are. "And before you argue, yes, I'm making you a sandwich also. If Daniel hasn't eaten yet, then you haven't yet, so you are getting a sandwich."

Betty smiled at this. It was these times that Gio showed the sweet side that he had. She sat down at one of the few tables while waiting. She could see him hard at work. Amazing how much passion he had for making something. She did have to agree, he definitely did have a natural flare for sandwiches. _I wonder if he is good at cooking other things_. She was proud of him for going after a goal; it was part of his plan. It definitely had put a lot of things back into her perspective about the direction her life was going in. She looked up at him and saw the concentration he had as he got everything perfectly delivered, the perfectionist that he was.

She was lost in her own thoughts to not even see Gio walk up to the table, placing down the two sandwiches. "You ok?" he said sincerely, looking down at her with concern in his eyes. She looked up at him surprised to see him right there that she jumped up and slipped all in the same process. Gio caught her quickly and settled her so she was steady on her own two feet. She looked embarrassed, not even noticing that they were still close to each other.

"Sorry, yea I'm fine. Just got a lot on my mind, with work and what happened and stuff. But I should run. I also wanted to say I'm really sorry about what happened with you and Henry the other day. I'm glad to see you are okay though," she said rushed.

"Don't worry about it. I'm a tough guy, and everything was settled anyway. Don't think twice about what happened," he said as a slow smile formed on his face. He looked tender in that one moment.

They stared at each other for one more second before they heard the familiar chime of the bell alerting that a new customer had entered. The moment was lost as Betty moved away from Gio and grabbed the sandwiches from the table. "Thanks again for the sandwiches, I know Daniel will love it. I will talk to you..." she turned to face the door to leave, "Hilda?! What are you doing here?"

Hilda walked in with a Cheshire cat grin on her face that was asking for trouble. "You always are talking about how great of a sandwich Gio makes and I hadn't seen him in a while. Figured I would stop in and see what you are always raving about."

Betty gave her one last look before waving to Gio, indicating that she was leaving and darted out of there. Hilda on the other hand, chuckled and turned to Gio with a hand on her hip. Obviously she walked in and saw something going on, whatever that something WAS, no one knew but the two of them.

"So what will it be Hilda?"

Hilda's smile grew even wider before sitting down at the table Betty had just mere seconds ago been sitting at. "How about you make me a BLT and tell me all about what is going on between Betty and you. Because she isn't telling me anything," Gio was about to open his mouth to protest but she kept going, "and _neither_ can you. What I just walked into was not something best buds do. And what the heck happened between you and Henry?"

Gio smiled this time, "Henry's spooked and punched me, even though I did nothing wrong."

"And does he have reason to BE spooked by you?"

At this point Gio just raised an eyebrow as he turned his attention to making Hilda her sandwich. That was all Hilda needed to know. "Tell me everything." She knew that this trip down to Gio's sandwich shop would be worth it. Because when it came down to seeing her sister happy, she would do anything to see it happen. And Hilda felt that she knew just what Betty was going to need when her last few weeks with her 'Prince Charming' were up.

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	2. You're Reverence Shamelessly Tempting Me

**Disclaimer: Do not own anything with Ugly Betty**

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**Chapter 2.** **And You're Reverence Shamelessly Tempting Me…….**

Betty Suarez sat frozen as Charlie was taken to the hospital. She never expected that she would be near Charlie when she went into labor. Never did she think it would happen at this baby shower. After all the warning she had gotten about the baby shower just being too much for her to take on between the preparations and controlling Charlie's emotions. She told everyone it would be just fine. Hilda was more than disappointed with her, saying that she was just adding fuel to the fire between a burning bridge that would never fix. It was only going to take time before it would fall apart crumbling its last remains and Betty was the fool to think that it could get through the pressures that it was feeling. Needless to say, Hilda refused to help Betty with the shower preparations and conveniently left, had to meet with one of Justin's teachers. And now, after her lecture and others, Betty was able to single-handedly destroy the last of the foundation that was left.

"So I know you are all in shock about baby mama's baby miracle, but were you serious about you and your lame squeeze?" Amanda said while placing a hand on her hip looking at Betty. "Hello, earth to Betty! How about some tacos?"

Betty turned away finally from the spot that she had been staring at to look up at Amanda. "What?" she said confused, missing every single word that was said.

Amanda rolled her eyes. "You and accountant guy, you really are going to stay together after this _thing_ arrives?"

"Oh yea, Henry asked me that this afternoon before the shower started. He said he can't imagine us not being together and that it's silly to break up when the baby is born, which I guess would be now."

"You know, isn't it funny that he says that and the baby mama is having the kid today? It's almost as if he _knew_ it was going to happen. Just like he knew that if he didn't get it in your head that you should still be dating, you'll be on top of something else."

"What are you talking about?" Betty said annoyed, not understanding why today out of all days everyone needed to attack her relationship with Henry.

"How does that saying go? Out of mind in sight? Sight for sore eyes?..." Amanda pondered.

"Out of sight, out of mind?"

Amanda pointed to Betty, "Whatever. You're too blinded now by him to see but once he's gone he'll be a distant memory. You'll be too consumed with sandwich guy to even remember that he had been here."

Betty scoffed. "No I would not forget about Henry. Just because Henry is going back to Tucson and wants us to stay dating doesn't mean that he is preventing anything. Obviously, I wouldn't have agreed to it if I wasn't in love with him. And how does Gio play into this at all?"

"Oh please, we aren't going to go there again. I don't know how you expect him to have time for you when all he's going to do is being a baby daddy. I'd only put up with it if he had money. I'd be a gold digger at that point," Amanda said thoughtfully, an interesting thought crossing her mind. "Ew. ANYWAYS, so did you tell Gio about this yet? Gio take it out on nerd boy yet?" she said hopeful.

"No, I didn't tell Gio. I don't see how that matters to my friendship with him. Sure, he'll probably tell me I'm being silly, but really, he's just a friend. That's it. Nothing more. And even if I did tell Gio, it shouldn't change our relationship, because friends are there for each other. I'm allowed to be friends with Gio, and talk to him, and see him, and get chicken salads from him. Why is it such a hard concept for us to be friends!" Betty's voice rose before almost shouting the last part to Amanda.

Amanda slowly backed away, her infamous smirk across her face. "Obviously if you are defending it that much, then you have your answer," she said before grabbing her bag. "Looks like the party is done so I'm leaving, got to get ready to see my father. You know Gene Simmons?" She headed out the door.

At this point most of the guests for the baby shower had left, leaving Betty to sit alone in the living room. For the first time in a while, she felt so lonely with the solitude that should have been welcoming after the events that just occurred that afternoon. Instead she felt worse. And her heart was aching as the truth to the situation was coming out. Henry was leaving. But it wasn't that bit of information that was killing her inside. It was the fact that Amanda was right. Why was she dealing with all this drama, it was only backfiring in her life. Her heart was aching for the fact that this was the reality of the situation, and nothing was going to change that. And maybe she needed to prioritize her life. Angrily, she picked up one of the paper plates on the table and threw it violently into the trashcan. And she was NOT being defensive about her relationship with Gio.

A knock sounded at the Suarez door later that evening surprising the whole family, except for one. Betty knew that this moment was going to happen and she knew what she had to do. The whole afternoon she was thinking. She couldn't eat, she couldn't concentrate, and she couldn't grasp her feelings around this one anymore.

"Betty! I'm a dad! Little baby girl, going to name her Elizabeth, Lizzie for short. I just can't believe it!" Henry said as he smiled down at her. "You will absolutely love her, you'll have to meet her. Can you come tonight to the hospital? Or maybe tomorrow after work? We could grab some dinner afterwards, I know how badly you want to try that Italian place."

"Look Henry, I don't think me going to the hospital and being near Charlie would be any good right now," Betty said with a sad smile across her face.

Henry looked bewildered, "Why?"

"Charlie and I got into a huge fight, right before her water broke. It was about you and me, and our decision on staying together….."

"Why did you tell her? I thought we agreed that I was going to calmly tell her that later tonight," Henry said, his voice rising, "You knew that was the one thing I wanted to do. You know she would get upset about it, especially from hearing it from you."

Betty was stung by those words. "Henry… I know you just had the baby and all, but seriously it was a mistake, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry to Betty. There is just so much going on right now, and I don't know how to balance it all. There are so many expectations that I need to fulfill." Henry was lost in his own world that he didn't see the look on Betty's face and how now was not the time to start preaching to her about the expectations he doesn't live up to. "After tomorrow night, I don't really know what is going to happen. Since we weren't expecting Lizzie to be born early, we didn't really think of travel arrangements and how to handle everything. We don't have a lot of the baby supplies, well I guess some might have come today from your baby shower," Betty looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "You know what I mean."

Betty just sat there silent for a minute. She was trying to take in everything and how her whole world was just flipped upside down by one event. Everything she ever dreamed about seemed to fly away. The bubbles bursting fast and every last hope to hold on to them, was finally giving into what she knew was real. "Henry….."

At that moment Henry turned to look at her and his bright smile that was on his face when he walked through the door was instantly wiped off. "I think we need a break."

"Where is this coming from?" Henry said meekly while looking down at his hands. He was fidgeting with them back and for. "This have anything to do with Gio?"

"No it doesn't…. actually it does. But in a different way. You are always accusing me of something with Gio when time and time again I've reassured to you that nothing is going on, we are friends. But if you can't trust me when you are right here, how are you going to trust me when you leave with Charlie and the baby?"

Henry looked like he was ready to protest, but the thoughts that had been eating away at Betty slowly but surely started to pour out.

"And then what? The baby hasn't even been here for a day and already all the attention is going to that. Or how Charlie is feeling. Charlie isn't your girlfriend, but I am! And I know she is the mother to your child, but I need some leeway too! Charlie is always coming first, and I can't just be there on the side waiting for you each time. I'm better than that," Betty starting getting all choked up at this point, the tears evident in her eyes, "And until you can figure out where I fit into your life, or when you can have TIME for me, I think we need a break."

"Betty….," was all Henry could get out before being overwhelmed by his emotions also, "I promise I can do better, everything is just so new and….."

"No Henry, I think it's best that we take a break. You should be at the hospital now, with Charlie and the baby. Then you are going to leave for Tucson. And don't talk to me until you figure out where I belong in your life Henry. This isn't a fairytale and we can't keep skating around the issues. These are the issues."

They sat there in silence, neither being able to look at the other. The last bubble of Betty's dreams burst, her fantasy had finally unwoven, and the reality of everything in her life was sitting in front of her. And the world never seemed clearer than it had at that moment.

"I think it's best if you go."

Henry slowly got up, a look of defeat, confusion, and sadness all portrayed in his features in that exact moment. He turned to look towards Betty, who still had her head down, her wavy hair covering her face. Henry sighed, "Okay, if that's what you want…. I'll go," he said as he walked to the door. He opened it up before turning towards her. "You know I feared this was going to happen, that all of this was getting to be too much. I told Gio that when I went to his deli, and he told me to try to make the most of the moment I have with you. But I guess it just wasn't enough."

Betty looked up at that moment into Henry's eyes, "You talked to him about it and he told you that?"

"Yea," Henry said with a sad smile, "Well…. Goodnight Betty."

And with that, Henry turned and walked out the door, away from the one girl he truly cared about. And inside the loneliness and hollowness seemed to lull around, hovering with every last care in the world. But surprise and appreciation were the main feelings that were pushing them away. The world was clear, and for once, a better understanding of Giovanni Rossi was stood out in front of Betty. She had no time to think, or formulate what was going through her mind in that moment. She picked up her phone, she needed a friend, she needed…. And in that second it all hit her. She needed _him_. She picked up her phone, hastily, and dialed the one number she was so used to in the past few weeks.

A click on the other end sounded, "Gio….," was all she could get out before the dam broke and a flood of emotions came crashing through, and she knew he would know.

"Betty are you ok?" was all he could say in response, and the concern in his voice only justified that she knew it was the right decision to call him.

"Can you pick me up? I just really need to get out of the house; it's been a long day. And I feel like I just need ice cream."

Gio was silent for a second before responding, "Of course, give me about 20 minutes, okay? Or would you rather stay on the phone. Who cares about New York traffic laws and driving while on the phone," he said to lighten the mood and with that Betty laughed, and for the first time that whole day, a smile broke over her face.

"No it's ok. But I'll meet you outside." And with that, they hung up and Betty took a breath of fresh air. She needed to have a few laughs and knew that Gio was the right man for the job.

"….And my mother was yelling at Nella telling her to stop for she had added WAY to much soap and the whole bathtub was overflowing. She wanted suds and boy did she get a lot of suds," Gio said chuckling as they walked through the streets with ice cream cones in hand.

"Your family sounds so great. I wish I met Antonella on better terms," Betty replied, her voice sounding much chipper than it had earlier that night.

"Eh, don't worry about it. She got over it. After the show she definitely warmed up to who you were, but I don't think as much with Henry," but the second Gio mentioned the word 'Henry', Betty's smile turned to a frown. "What did I say? I thought my little sister approving of you was a good idea, or did you want her to hate you? Were you looking to have that annoying younger sister relationship, because trust me, we can trade places ANY day."

Betty laughed lightly, but it wasn't enough. "Charlie had the baby today. She went into labor at the shower."

"Ahh, I see."

"And everything with the baby has been so drama filled, and I just can't do it to myself anymore. I can't be second anymore to Henry, not right now. And until he gets that, I told him to go with them, and to call me when he figures it out."

"You think you can really go through with that?" Gio asked, both with concern and curiosity in his voice, but Betty didn't seem to pick up on that.

"I don't know. I think it's going to be hard, but I can't keep holding on to something that isn't there," Betty said while taking another bite from her ice cream cone.

Gio ate his in silence for a few minutes, trying to digest everything Betty blurted out to him. Out of all the things he thought she would say, the fact that she turned away Henry was a surprise, a good surprise indeed. "Just don't lose sight of what you want."

"I'm not. I think I'm finally starting to realize that I can't expect more out of this life, and that I need to face issues. I'm not a little girl anymore. I can't run away from them. And this is one of them. It's time I started getting control of my life."

They walked around a little longer, both silent, enjoying the night. The stars were shining everywhere, and the soft glow of moonlight seemed to make everything seem so magical. Both were caught up in the moment. The drive back to the Suarez house was quiet, but it was welcoming, and comforting. When they pulled up in front of the familiar house Gio put in the car in park before turning to look at her.

"Well I hope the ice cream did the trick. Ice cream is the comfort food of the gods," he said with a smile.

"Thank you Gio for really being there for me tonight. I really needed this. You really know how to cheer me up," she said with a smile.

"I try to, you deserve it."

Betty unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to Gio and wrapped her arms around him. It seemed like an eternity even though it was seconds long, but it felt right. She pulled away and opened the door before turning back to look at him, with his small smile etched on his face. "I'll talk to you soon?"

His smile grew wider at that, "You should know by know that a chicken salad comes every day for you."

With that she closed the door and walked slowly up the steps to get inside. She looked around one more time before she grabbed her keys to let herself into the house. They slipped right out of her fingers and fell to the ground. Grumbling she picked them up and grabbed the one she needed to unlock the door. Grabbing the doorknob, she froze. Because at that moment she realized that with everything becoming clear, so were other things. And there was no way denying it anymore.

"Have a good time," Hilda asked as she strolled in from the kitchen. She looked like she was ready to go to bed and just happened to catch her in the moment of walking in.

"It was nice," was all Betty could get out before hanging her coat up and slowly walking up the stairs.

Her sweaty palms were on fire at that moment.

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	3. Like a Fresh Battery Im Energized By You

**Hey guys! Thank you for reading my story so far! This is for all the Getty's I hope you like it! Of course, possible spoilers for the episode TKAA, so don't read if you don't want to. Please leave feedback, much appreciated!**

Disclaimer: Don't own anything involved with Ugly Betty

**Chapter 3. Like a Fresh Battery, I'm Energized By You**

It has been one hell of a week. Nothing has been going right, and it only built upon the already emotional dysfunctional Betty Suarez as she tried to get through another day. Her whole life was snowballing out of control, with no grasp on how it is all going to change. Everyday, something new was adding to it, evolving the once small snowball to be the avalanche of her distress. If only it would collide with the reality of the situation, would her anxiety finally rest.

The break up of her and Henry was a toll, but not as big of a toll that she thought it would be. Sure it was hard, she did care for him deeply, but she already felt herself being pulled away from her knight in shining armor that she once had fallen in love with. He was just like any other guy, but with emotional baggage that would travel along with her wherever she went. Of course her family was supportive, but she could see the joy in their eyes. And strangely enough, out of all the emotions she felt with it, she felt relief.

Not to mention that Mode was getting a shake up of its own with Wilhelmina coming back. Of course, Daniel was stressing out about it, considering her continual efforts to take over Meade Publications, which only led Betty to worry about it more.

But no, those weren't all the things that were bothering her lately.

_**Gio**_

It was the one person who really had struck a cord inside of her from the moment she met him, and now, he was addicting. She chalked aside her sweaty palms as nothing, not meaning anything. She wasn't going to believe in those silly little fairy tales anymore. But he himself was just so addictive. Every day she couldn't wait to hear his sweet, smoothing voice telling her about his day and the new creations of sandwiches he was coming up with for his deli. Or the way he seemed to give her the 'Betty smile' anytime she walked into the deli before making some comment about her being an eater. But other things were starting to pull her in: his eyes, his laugh, the way he bit his lower lip when goofing around. All things that should NOT bother her. But yet they were, she loved seeing the many different sides that Giovanni Rossi could offer her, because he was her drug, who could get her heart racing every time he was near and aching every time he was far away. But she didn't like him and told herself that this morning again as she walked down to his deli, a normal routine in her day now. Only to be told she was stalking him. It made her so mad.

Yet here she was, Ms. Betty Suarez, and being kissed SENSELESS by the man that has been slowly gnawing away at her thoughts, plaguing her in her dreams, and fueling a fire inside of her that she couldn't explain. And she was kissing him back. It was like the fairy tale kiss that one would always desire, yet here it was, and it was real, it was passionate, and they could easily be caught by anyone as he ravished her and leaving her knees to wobble. But her doubt kicked back in, her scripted story about them being friends rearing its head to the front as she gently pulled away, despite Gio holding her head between his hands. They both were breathing hard as they stared at one another.

"Where did any of that come from?" Betty asked above a whisper, trying to grab back her composure.

It didn't help that the one man that was always so assertive and blunt started to get a faint pink tint to his cheeks as he chewed on his lower lip, the embarrassment evident on his face. "Just felt like the right thing to do," was all he could respond with.

"Seriously Gio! You know that I just got out of a relationship, who I cared for deeply," at which Gio grimaced, and Betty didn't even blame him. "Did you honestly think that I would just jump into the first available man in front of me?"

He got a smirk on his face, "So you aren't denying that you liked it?"

Betty was taken aback, "I don't have time for this Gio, I need to get these sandwiches back to the office before all hell breaks lose this afternoon," she said as she turned around to grab the sandwich bag. However, Gio grabbed her arm and twirled her around, his brown eyes piercing into hers as he gave her a very serious looking face.

"Just admit it Betty, that you liked it and deep down you know that you like me," but that smile came back across his face, "or am I going to have to start calling your bluff and go back to 'quacking' at you whenever you make up an excuse?"

There was one silent pause and her heart and brain were in the middle of WWIII with her feelings and thoughts that caused her body to react the only way it could, with Gio being the target. She slapped him, half-heartedly across the face, which took him by surprise.

"I'm sorry Gio, I…I… I didn't mean to do that," Betty said, the shock evident in her voice.

"Obviously we both did things we shouldn't have today," Gio said as he turned around from her, the spell broken between them.

"Gio….."

"I have a lot to do Betty, its best if you leave."

Betty looked at him but he refused to turn around. Sighing with defeat she grabbed the bag and headed to the door. She looked back one last time and saw him wringing his apron in his hands as he faced away, the tension in his shoulders prominant. In the matter of minutes their whole relationship had changed and she feared it would never go back to the way it was. The fact that Gio didn't laugh off what happened worried her, because Betty knew she struck a nerve, and her own heart wasn't quite settled with it either.

The walk back to the building wasn't long and unhealthy for what she needed. And the last thing she needed was everything that was going on today to be plaguing her mind. For once she was hoping for a good day in this week, but of course, another bump in the road. Walking into the lobby, she saw Amanda look at her with a funny look on her face.

"I still don't know how people in this office still get sandwiches from that guy, don't they realize what they are doing to themselves," Amanda said in her normal annoying voice as she started filing her nail and looking at Betty.

"Maybe some people just don't care but enjoy something different for once in their lives," Betty retorted, surprised that she could even think of anything at this moment that wasn't Gio.

"Whatever. Anyways, what's up with you spending so much time down there with him anyway? He already gives you free food all the time and is practically at your beck and call whenever needed."

"No, he's not! He's been a good friend and has been really nice and generous this past week since everything with Henry."

Amanda looked at Betty and quirked an eyebrow as she took in her appearance. "You know, if I didn't know better, it almost looks like you already got your afternoon treat for the day."

At that Betty blushed as she instantly was brought back to the memory of Gio kissing her and the feel of his hands cupping her face and how they were so close to being buried in her hair. Amanda got a smile on her face especially when she saw Betty's jaw slightly ajar in the surprise that she felt. "I _knew_ it," Amanda sung before continuing. "He must be passionate, he's only been DYING to do that forever since he's been in love with you far before Nerd boy left."

Betty was taken aback. Of course she knew this, wasn't it Amanda that had told her this before, back when even Henry started questioning about her intentions with Gio? But this time it was much different. Before, Henry was the blanket that shielded her eyes from seeing anyone else that could be a viable candidate or even just as someone that would be helplessly devoted to. But now, with the way Amanda said it, she was thrown for even more of a loop, was it true? Could Gio really like her? And even more so, why was she hoping that the answer to that question was 'Yes'.

The rest of the day was relatively quiet, though Wilhelmina definitely got under Daniel's skin and Betty had to reassure him on numerous occasions that everything was going to be ok. She was getting ready for the dance that Justin's school was having, since she agreed to help out with the chaperoning after Hilda begged her. And now, sitting and getting her hair done, Hilda had enough of the silent treatment she was getting for reasons unknown to her.

"Why are you so quiet tonight Betty? I know you don't like school dances, but can't you just chalk it aside and try to have a good time tonight?" Hilda stated as she brushed Betty's hair and looked at her through the mirror.

"Gio kissed me today," Betty said meekly, she just couldn't hold it inside of her and needed to talk to somebody about everything.

"What!" Hilda said turning the chair around so Betty could directly face her. "When did this happen! More importantly, how was it?"

Betty told her the whole story about going down there and how Gio started making some of the crazy accusations and saying that she wanted him as the rebound guy and before long he was just kissing her senseless. "So was he a good kisser?"

"Hilda!"

"Just saying," she said as she gave her sister a look.

"It was definitely out of the blue and I was not expecting it. And it was nice, but that doesn't mean anything. He still had no right to do that or to say those things to me," defensively Betty replied.

"Maybe he was just speaking the truth and you're afraid of that."

It was the words Betty needed to hear. For so long she was pushing her feelings away, fear of getting caught up again to only be hurt. For fear that so fast after Henry left that she was already being swept up into another man's arms. For the fear that for the first time, a man was able to make her feel the way she did, unstoppable, perfect, and on fire, every inch excited with the possibility of what was to come.

"Hilda, I'd rather just not talk about it. We got into a fight and he was not keen on me being their any longer. I just want to go tonight and get through this dance, talk to some of the students, and just forget about Gio for one second of my life."

Of course, luck really wasn't on Betty's side for the second they got to the dance and walked in, HE had to be there. Standing there, looking adorable as ever and yet oblivious to the fact that she was here, in the same room, when mere hours earlier he was holding her so passionately, throwing all the cards out on the table and hoping for her to take it. She turned towards Hilda, pleading with her eyes to allow her to go. She saw Hilda spot Gio and noticed she got an interesting look on her face, causing Betty to turn around. Gio was looking at both of them, frozen in the spot as he was shocked to see them. Time stilled as they stared at one another before Betty turned her head to the side to break the contact. She looked back and saw him wave at both of them, before stalking across to the other side of the gym.

"Guess he is still mad at me for slapping him," was all Betty could say before she turned away from her sister and walked out of the gym to look at the school.

She hadn't been back in a long time and was curious to see the changes that occurred. Of course the basic overall structures were the same. A smile would cross Betty's lips when certain happy memories would come back to her. When she got to the hallway with awards, she stopped as her breath hitched in her throat. There, for the 10 years it had been there, was her award. The one award that had meant a lot to her while growing up that the Principal kindly asked for the school to hold onto. She hadn't seen it in so long, but there it was 'Betty Suarez' neatly etched at the bottom for the recognition of being a Good Citizen. She looked at it fondly.

"What are you looking at?" whispered Gio in her ear, sending goose bumps down her arms at how close he was to her. He walked next to her and looked in, pointing with an excited tone, "Well Hey! Would you look at that, you are famous here! Back at your little old age of 14, taking down criminals one step at a time."

"Gio, you can be so weird sometimes. But yes, that is my award I won. They wanted to keep it."

"Why? It's your award, you should have it."

Betty pondered, "Well it did and still does mean a lot to me but I understood why."

Gio fumbled with his pockets until he got what he was looking for and started to pick the lock to the cabinet. Betty started to protest but he turned and gave her a look. "It's your trophy; you should be able to look at it." And with that and in one smooth movement, he picked the lock and slid the case open. He pulled out her award and handed it to her.

Betty smiled as she looked at it and then looked up at Gio. "You never cease to amaze me at the tricks you always have up your sleeves."

Gio smiled and winked, "You haven't seen anything yet Betty."

Of course, shortly after the moment was broken up by the Principal, much to both of their disappointment. Betty embarrassed at what happened, gave back the trophy while Gio stood up and took the blame. However, they both didn't get in trouble since they were cooperative. The magical moment that was happening between them passed as they both walked toward the gym. They could hear the music as they approached and saw that more students were here and some were finally dancing.

"I should go and keep an eye out and make sure they don't do anything they shouldn't," Betty said as she pointed in front of her.

"Make out break up police on the prowl, got it," Gio responded with a smile. "I should keep an eye out on Nella anyway, big brother has to make sure his little sis doesn't get into any trouble."

And with that Gio walked away, towards where she suspected Nella was. She hadn't seen her since Wicked, but she had grown even more since than. She had changed in a few months, and hoped that Betty could make a better second impression on her than when she first met her. Betty walked around and saw the kids having fun. She had to pull a few couples apart, even though they protested, and was close to taking names before she loosened up a little bit. It was nearing the end of the night when she saw Hilda talking to Coach Diaz and was happy that her sister was fond of someone new. She was so busy thinking about that, Betty didn't even hear Gio approach her.

"Looks like they would make a cute couple," was all he said which made Betty turn to look at him.

"Does it bother you at all to see that? I know you guys had gone on a date before and…."

"Betty, its fine. It was only one date. And it was mutual. Guess you could say that our first and only date was an eye opener," Gio said as a thoughtful expression passed over his face.

Betty didn't understood what he meant by that, but she just was so overwhelmed with everything, but this time, her heart was fighting through. "Dance with me," she said in a low voice, which made Gio turn and look sharply at her.

Without saying a word, he grabbed her hand and glided her to the dance floor. A fast song was on, which was good to break the tension that was between them. Gio took lead and started dancing around the dance floor. And Betty was able to enjoy herself this time with Gio as they floated across the dance floor as if it was air and they were walking on the clouds. Both were so absorbed with each other that they didn't even notice those that were looking at them with fascination. Betty laughed while Gio smiled and goofed around as he led her around. He twirled her and pulled her back in, bringing them much closer together. Their heads were mere inches apart and both of their smiles dropped slowly from their face. Betty couldn't help but take a look at Gio's lips, remembering what had last happened when they were in close proximity. Betty moved her hands down to his arms as Gio shifted his to be on her waist, but still holding her close as he looked into her eyes.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Betty said while being slightly distracted by him rubbing his thumb back and forth lightly against her waist.

"It's ok I understand where you were coming from. I was being out of line and shouldn't have said any of the things that I said."

"No, I was out of line. I shouldn't have slapped you. It was uncalled for in many ways. Plus, you were right."

Gio smiled tenderly, "So I was right then, I'm a gentle lover."

"Gio," she said and playfully hit his arm before looking up at him again, his eyes were mesmerizing and intoxicating. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and hugged her as he chuckled into her neck about everything. It had been such an emotional day for both of them. He pulled away slightly but Betty didn't allow him to go to far. She didn't want to lose the feeling of him right next to her.

He searched her eyes for some sign, and Betty didn't know what to do. It was a completely different side of Gio that she was not used to before, one who is hesitant and unsure. And sure, Betty was partly to blame for this.

"I don't regret it," Betty stated, which surprised him for a second as he quickly glanced at her lips.

"So you wouldn't regret it if I did this," Gio said huskily before bending his head forward and capturing her lips which sent Betty in for a whirlwind.

This kiss was passionate but in a different sense. It was slow, kind and caring, but opening up the doors and allowing for emotions to be flooded through. His lips were soft and gentle as he kissed her. This should have been how their first kiss should have been, because it was everything Betty hoped it would be. It seemed like hours, or even days, but Gio pulled back before it could even be deepened further.

"I think we got in enough trouble for one night," was all he said, the confidence back as he gave her a smile. His eyes were still intense and caused Betty to shiver as butterflies built within her stomach. She couldn't deny it any longer, for she knew deep down her feelings won the battle and that she knew that she was starting to fall for Gio.

Betty sighed, "Gio, can we take things slow. I don't want to do anything to jeopardize things between us in the end." He gave her a look. "I like you Gio, I'll admit it, are you happy?"

"Yes, that's all I wanted to hear. Though, after that kiss if you slapped me again I might have figured it out that you didn't. Or maybe you like that kind of stuff," he said as he smiled and winked at her.

"You are unbelievable," was all Betty could respond with as she rolled her eyes.

"I should probably find Nella, it looks like the dance is coming to a close, and I need to get her back home," Gio said reluctantly since it meant their night was done.

"That's fine. I should probably find Hilda and Justin anyway so we can get back."

"Do you need a ride, I can drop Nella off and then all of you guys?" he said innocently, though Betty knew that the car ride would probably lead to anything but being innocent, especially if he dropped Nella off first.

"I think we will be ok, but thank you. But I should get going." She reluctantly pulled herself out of his arms and turned to scan the room for Hilda.

"Hey Betty," Gio said to get her to look at him one last time, "Do you want to go out tomorrow night, for dinner and something else?"

"Depends on what the something else is," she said teasingly.

"That is for me to know and for you to find out. What do you say; I'll get you at 7?"

Betty nodded her head as a smile broke out across it. Gio mimicked her smile also and they parted ways. Betty found Hilda who was talking to Justin. When they both spotted her, the Cheshire cat grins both popped up on their faces. "Looks like someone had a good night," was all Hilda said and giving Betty a look that said, 'You will tell me later what happened when we get home.'

"You know, I did. I had a really good night and really, an overall good day."

They walked out of the gym and started their course home. Hilda slowed down a bit to whisper to Betty, "So will you now tell me if he's a good kisser? Looked like you were really enjoying it on the dance floor."

"HILDA!" could be heard through the block as they walked before Betty started giggling as the smile on her face grew. She was already addicted to Gio, but now she was addicted even more so with what his lips could do. And as crazy as it was, she wouldn't have it any other way. She couldn't imagine what other ways Giovanni Rossi could impress her and intrigue her, but she knew that it was only the beginning to what she knew could be a fantastic relationship.

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